Supersize finds at Big Mak!

I have a lot of food post backlogs. Things are getting a little wayward and I know that blogging about new discoveries will keep my sanity intact, i hope.

Last Christmas was spent in our Pangasinan home. It's been ages since we last did that. Blame it on my sister's hospital duties, and to our tradition that Post-Christmas Eve should be spent with visiting friends. So technically, I have to be in Manila. But, I digress. I really want to share my cheapo but yummy finds in Pangasinan.

Pangasinan vacations are always characterized by spending long hours on bed, stuffing ourselves to the brim with local delicacies and just discovering great finds.

This vacation is not an exception. My sister and I were playing Virtual Villager when boredom struck me. I knew right then and there that I had to get of the house and just "explore". Good thing, my sister was game so off we went to the town plaza (I can here my city friends snickering ;p).

Guess what we found? Two giants! Big Mak!, a local trailer type food chain (maybe a parody of the giant burger of this well-known fast food chain) was offering giant burgers and super long hotdog sandwiches. I forgot about the prices but they were cheap. Think below 100 bucks.
The Big Mak Giant Burger was huge but lacking in flavor. I didn't like the texture of the bread but it was quite filling. For its worth, I'm not complaining =)

Shobe taking a bite.

Next came Big Mak's Super Long Hotdog Sandich. This is probably the loooongest dog I've set my hands on (no pun intended. hehe). It measures 1 1/2 ft long. So if you think the footlong sandwiches in Morayta are the bomb, sizewise, you better think again ;p.



The hotdog sanwich was waaaay better than the burger. The hotdog did not have the usual snap that I want in my sausage but the bun was really soft so it kinda made up for that. 

Hmn, I'm wondering what they will supersize next =)

10 Reasons to be Happy #4

1. My Seoul-based best buddy is finally here in Manila. Move over stress, time to smell the roses with Luckyboy.
2. Completed 5 days -and counting- of Simbang Gabi. Every single time, we're at least 20 mins early. Naks!
3. Simbang Gabi service. I love the fact that I still have my "female voice" no matter how early it is.
4. Solving mystery games with Shobe. I just love playing detective with her. Hay, one of the things that I will surely miss when hospital eats up majority of her time starting January 1.
5. Tita Miriam's thanksgiving breakfast party. I love breakfast parties! I have found a family in the company of my churchmates. Lord, ito na ba yung "calling"? wag naman sana. hehe
 6. My new (old) favorite game-- Virtual Families and Villagers. I know, I know, too old school. But these games take my mind off facebook.
7. Watching a football match with my country as one of the competing teams. No matter what, I'm proud of you Azkals! I can't wait for Suzuki 2012.
8. Friday night. Recreated Taylor Swift's "I'm only me when I'm with You". FTW! *grin*
9. Sir Gene's birthday party. I love it when a normal birthday party becomes an instant reunion of dear ol' friends. I had so much fun with Joeven, Ate Ans, Ma'am Barro, Ate Raqs, Sir Gene, Sir Joey, Sir Rog, Harold, Lucky, Mike, Bryan, VV, et.al. Ang kulit ni Mike! hahaha. lines that are worth remembering:
           

1. “Bawat isang plato ay nakakasira ng buhay.” (Mike on going back to the buffet spread after receiving praises for his beautifully sculptured body. Naks! Gustung gusto nya yan.)
2.   “You just don’t get that virus if you don’t have an underlying GRAVER disease like AIDS and CANCER (Ma’am Barro’s ‘comforting’ words to Lucky. hahaha)
3. “I-enjoy mo na ‘tong food. Baka last mo ng kain ‘to. (Everyone in relation to former entry.)
4. “I like that! Ang lakas maka-cosmopolitan ng statement mo friend.” (I forgot the context na basta Mike and I were talking and this came up.)
5. “Kumusta na kaya si Maren.” (Harold’s out of the blue question. Yes, he did state that he’s single now and I did say that Maren is frolicking in NYC and that she is ALSO single. hahaha)    

10. Receiving gifts with personalized cards/messages. I love receiving presents in general (pwede naman sigurong maging materialistic minsan?)  but I treasure letters and notes more. It always ups generic gifts to personalized status. =)             

Happy Lemon

I had two meetings last Tuesday night with the last one ending past midnight. The last one was analytically demanding so I forced myself to drink a cup of normal coffee with a shot of espresso. I think that was not a good idea since I was awake and unable to sleep until around 4 in the morning. Naturally, I had the biggest headache when I woke up not to mention the fact that I was kinda feeling a little bit under the weather because of my stupid asthma. To cut the story short, I took the day off and decided to just rest. Shobe brought me a huge cup of mint tea and after a couple of hours after lunch, I was feeling a little better. We decided to maximize the time and do some shopping. Guess what we found?????

HAPPY LEMON!!!!

I was ecstatic when I saw the image of the winking girl with yellow hair! I first saw this milk tea brand in Hong Kong. Too bad I wasn't able to try it because the line was too long. Luckily, I don't need to fly to HK (or China) just to try Happy Lemon. The Greenhills Promenade location rocks!

Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese (Php. 80)

The server instructed us not to use straw and just drink it straight from the cup to fully appreciate the flavors. Shobe found the mixture weird but for me, it was yummy. I loved the creaminess of the cheese and the mild taste of the green tea. The rock salt added a good punch of flavor.

Welcome to Manila, Happy Lemon!

The Ring

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the way we expect it." (Luna Lovegood, HP)

This quote practically played back in my mind when I saw the ring that my mom gave me some few years back tucked in the deepest corner of my kikay kit.

Wow! I've been looking for the said ring for months now. I last saw the ring on the day of shobe's oathtaking. I used it to add a certain vibe of formality and class on the said occasion. I was too tired to remember where I placed it after the ceremony. Of course, moms are intuitive and after a couple of days of not telling her that the ring's pseudo-missing, she asked me about it. I told her the most general answer at that point. I just said "Di ko po makita pero for sure I left it in my room. Maybe it rolled somewhere." My mom is smart so obviously she did not buy my alibi. She's aware that I do keep my accessories in a box and I do have boxes for rings, earrings (for the studs and pearls since I have a separate storage for chandelier, drop and hoop earrings), bracelets (which are subdivided into bangles, beads, cuffs etc.) and necklaces. Case in point: I can get carried away in terms of organizing my accessories so the ring "rolling somewhere" was a bad argument. I may be an ok adj and a pretty decent debater but I suck at lying especially to people who know me.

Mom would ask once in a while if I was able to find it and I would have the same answer every single time. Honestly, after an entire day of looking in my room, I've given up. I have the attention span of a 2 y/o and patience in an endeavor gleaned as an exercise in futility is not my strongest virtue. So I just left everything to St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost things, hoping that the ring would miraculously show up. And thankfully, it did!

So Luna's right. We should not stress ourselves too much looking for the things that we lost. If they are meant to be ours, they will find their way back us. Sure, things may no longer be the same again but we are not in the position of power to bargain and ask for more. After all, God is good. He may not give us what we want but he surely provides for what we need. And no, I am no longer talking about missing rings =)

Happy birthday, Shobe!

I think having a sibling is nice but having a sister is really, really awesome.

All of my close friends know the kind of relationship that I have with my sister. Admittedly, I spoil her to death (or at least if and when my budget permits. bleeh!).

Shobe's birthday for this year was pretty exclusive. We (mom, pop, shobe and moi) just had an intimate lunch of grilled fish, Angus beef kebab, buttered prawns and White Chocolate and Bluberry Cheesecake. Actually, my mom scolded me the night before because I forgot to make reservations for Estrel's Caramel Cake but oh well. And since I was too tired to go shopping with her (fire drill was hell), we just went to Payless the next day. We kinda lost it since the original plan of shopping for shoes ended with a couple of clothes and some groceries. We also had some chill time at my favorite wine/tea session place with Lucky and Mark. Cafe Adriatico is pure love.

Happy birthday to my dear sister! You may be a kickass doctor but you will always be the family's baby =)

Sango

I think I had my first authentic taste of Japanese cuisine during my primary education. Papa had a Japanese client who owned a Japanese resto along Pasay road. I could still remember the zen interior and the visually appealing bento, the unagi, ebi tempura, the properly executed miso soup, the fresh sashimi on top of glistening shaved ice and the freshly grated wasabi (unlike those wasabi paste and powder that you can get in the grocery). Simply put, I fell in love with Japanese food. Years after that, I was introduced to the trend of new age cuisine- FUSION. Some foodies are not a fan because it alters its cultural specificity, but I think a borderless world also calls for a borderless culinary opportunity. And yes, burgers are no longer mutually exclusive in the US diners. So for Doc She's last day of Makati yuppy life before doing her pre-residency, we decided to have lunch at Sango which is a stone's throw away from her clinic.

Sango is a restaurant that specializes in Japanese burgers. Now that's what I call fusion. The interior has a youthful vibe to it. They even have origamis and manga to entertain the customers while waiting for their orders.

Shobe told me there was Doraemon in there!

We ordered for their best-sellers which are the Master Cheese Burger, Yakiniku Rice Burger, Cold Lemon Ginger  and Iced Milk Tea.

The Yakiniku Rice Burger is really yummy. Tender slices of beef in between sticky Japanese rice. Doc She, who avoids rice every possible opportunity she has, finished this.

Yakiniku Rice Burger (Php145)

The Master Cheese Burger, on the other hand, has a huge slice of tomato, generous chili sauce, chopped onions and soft bun. A good burger for me is something that has a soft bun and a juicy patty. Good thing, this burger has both. I was initially overwhelmed with the amount of onions but surprisingly, it has a very mild flavor.

Master Cheese Burger (Php145)

We're full at this point so we settled for their Sango drinks instead of ordering their Cornflakes Shake. Since Doc She is feeling a little bit under the weather, she had Cold Lemon Ginger. It was just like a glorified cold salabat. It will surely clear any nasal congestion. I had the Iced Milk Tea. Unlike other milk teas, Sango's version is really mild. I did not taste the earthy flavor of tea. Definitely not for the purists or serious tea drinkers.

Cold Lemon Ginger (Php65); Iced Milk Tea (Php50)

If you get to experience food this way, who cares if it's fusion?

Posh likey :D

The Brgr Project

When my sister found out about this place offering personalized burgers, she automatically asked me to go and try it out. After more than a week of failed attempts, we managed to go there and make our very own burgers.

The Brgr Project is located along Maginhawa St. which is a famous foodie destination. It boasts of personalized burgers made out of fresh and diverse selection of ingredients.

A huge step by step sign of personalizing your burger can be seen at the back of the counter. With the wide range of ingredients, it is understandable if you get intimidated.

Upon entering, the nice and welcoming waiters will give you a checklist. You basically just mark the ingredients that you want to be included in your burger. You also get to name it and the guys from The Brgr Project will encode the "specs" of your burger so that on your next visit (or if you have friends who would like to try your burger), you can just tell the name of the burger and they can make it for you. 

I named my burger Posh Burger

Dr. Shobe named her burger Good Burger (which I believe originated from our favorite Keenan and Kel 90's movie).

you then hand it over to their waiter who will then compute the final price of your burger. You need to pay it while they prepare your masterpiece.

If you are too lazy or overwhelmed by the choices, you can just pick from these "pre-arranged" burgers by the previous customers. Of course, you are depriving yourself of the opportunity to make your own burger (which is exactly what this restaurant is all about).

The place is really small but the laidback interior makes you feel at home.

Presenting my legacy to Burger Land... Posh Burger. It has 100 % beef patty, canadian bacon, caramelized onions, sundried tomato, lettuce, pickles and gruyere and mozzarella cheese smothered with their special brgr sauce in a potato bun. (Php 290)

The patty is packed and juicy. The potato bun is really soft and all the ingredients blend well with the sauce. This is really a Posh burger!

My sister's Good Burger. It also has a single patty, canadian bacon, caramelized onions, sundried tomato, lettuce, cheddar and mozzarella cheese and wasabi mayo over poppy seed bread. (Php265)

I love how the wasabi mayo gives the umph! My sis really knows how to make a Good Burger ;p

This is really a good outlet for your creative foodie palate. The price is reasonable considering the taste and the serving size. So if you happen to be in the QC area, do visit this place and prepare to be transported to burger heaven. :)

Midterm hiatus...

We're having our midterms this week so there is a pretty high chance of icebucks taking a hiatus from blogging. I'll start my "incommunicado" status tomorrow, err, later (i forgot it's almost 1:30 am).

I've been reading for like majority of the day so I'm taking a break from Reyes, Pronove and Nachura. Argh! Well if there's something positive brought about by my forced geekiness, i'd say it's being appreciative of small things. My 30 mins. nap was the best, an hour of TV break-fabulous and my own pseudo coffee concoction- the most sophisticated cup of coffee for my fancy-schmaltzy taste (a clear oxymoron for someone who delights in everything pedestrian. haha).

I don't feel good. My sis took my BP and it's way too low. 85/55.
I have to do something about it. I can't afford to pass-out in the middle of a grueling exam or do a repeat of my criminal law review recitation (the one where I had to clutch the end of the whiteboard for dear life while having an asthma attack).

My break is almost over. Hitting the sack is not an option considering the piles of reading materials waiting for me. *bumfest mode*
Au Revoir!